A Tail of Two Freaks
by Adelene Abnormal
Summary: What if Mr. Crepsley fell for another freak? Can they both find happiness? Dru Finley had been an orphan since she could remember, but after living there for fifteen years, Dru gets the shock of her life. She finds out she isn't as normal as she thought.
1. Chapter 1

Okay to start out I do not own the characters of Cirque du Freak or the storyline of the books that all belongs to Darren Shan. I do however own Druella Finley and any other characters that are not in the book series. I also would highly appreciate feed back. NO FLAMES.. but helpful suggestions or advice is welcome. This is my first Cirque du Freak fanfiction so I will try to write everyone as much in character as possible. I also would like to say I will try to update as quickly as possible and thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy!

Cirque Du Freak

A Tail of Two Freaks

Summary:

What if Mr. Crepsley fell for another freak? Can they both find happiness? Druella Finley had been an orphan since she could remember, but after living there for fifteen years, Dru gets the shock of her life. She finds out she is not as normal as she once thought. Trying to find her place in the world, she finds herself buying a ticket to Cirque Du Freak. The night of the show changed her life forever. That night she found a home with the cirque and a guardian in the form of Mr. Hibernius Tall.

Chapter One

_**52 Year Ago**_

My name is Druella Finley and I am mostly human. Actually, when I was younger I thought I was just human. I have a secret, a secret that I can't tell anyone. After my fifteenth birthday my life changed forever. It started with just little things. It started with me becoming obsessed with water. I would sometimes take up to five baths a day. I couldn't thinking about water.. I was addicted to it. As time went on I got worse, a whole lot worse. One day I got wet and I grew scales!

As time went on my transformation became worse. Soon I couldn't take a bath without growing a tail and scales. The only way to look normal was to stay completely dry. I'm Druella Finley and I'm a mermaid.

I never told anyone about being a mermaid. I was to scared to. No one could understand what I was going through. My strangeness got me stranded at the orphanage. No one wanted to adopt a girl that looked like me.

I had white-blonde hair that flowed down my back in loose curls and shocking blue eyes. My skin was pale, almost translucent. I was short and scrawny. In my 'mermaid form' I had scales on most of my body and they were as blue as the ocean. My tail looked like any mermaid you've seen on TV and it matched the rest of my body, blue with scales. My hands were also webbed and had the habit of sticking to things when I tried to touch them.

I was sixteen when my life changed for the worse and for the better. One night at the orphanage, I was hanging out with some of the other girls my age when the incident happened. We were just watching TV when some of the boys decided to attack us with water guns. My arms got sprayed and my scales appeared and my hands became webbed. The other kids started freaking out. That was the night I ran away.

That night I wondered the streets of the small town I was living in. I was scared and alone. I didn't have anywhere to go. I sighed miserably and cursed my 'gift'. I stared at the ground as I walked, kicking a pebble as I went. As I was walking, I came upon a street corner where a semi-small crowd of people stood. They were huddled around something. Being the curious teenager that I was, I sneaked closer to them. The group was standing around a very intriguing man.

The man was tall and thin. His skin was so pale it beamed in the moonlight and his bright, orange hair almost glowed in the dark. He was wearing a very strange suit. It was bright red with what looked like a cape flowing behind him. Curious even more, I walked closer. The group was slowly departing and soon it was only the orange haired man and myself on the street corner.

The man didn't even seem to notice me. He stood there shuffling through the papers he was holding. I slowly made my way closer as quietly as possible. I was slightly frightened but strangely fascinated. Suddenly, the man looked straight at me and I froze in mid-step. His look was one of curiosity, his look sent shivers down my spine. I felt like I was an insect and he was studying me. I gulped down my fear and walked over to him cautiously. When I was just a few feet from him I found my voice.

"Hi, err, I-I was just wondering what you are handing out?" I asked.

He was still staring at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't quite put together. He had one eyebrow raised at me questioningly even though I was the one that had asked the question. After a few moments he straightened up and fixed his coat.

"I am handing out flyers for the Cirque Du Freak_._" He stated, still giving me a strange look.

"Cirque Du Freak?" I asked him confused.

"It is a freak show like no other. Very entertaining. It will make you laugh, scream, and possibly sick." was all the he replied with and he handed me a flyer.

The flyer was dark green. There was a picture of a wolf's head at the top. The wolf had its mouth open and saliva was dripping from its teeth.

Just beneath the wolf, in big black capital letters were the words:

**CIRQUE DU FREAK**

Underneath that, in smaller writing it gave the names of all the performers in the show. They really had some interesting performers. Some of them made me feel normal. Beneath the names was an address where they where performing and what time the show began. And right a the bottom it read:

**NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED!**

**SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY!**

"Are you part of the show?" I asked him. He didn't seem that freaky to me. He looked pretty normal, but then again so did I most of the time.

"Yes, I am Mr. Crepsley. I perform some outstanding illusions." he said, and smirked slightly.

"I see. Do you like working for Cirque Du Freak?" I asked, looking over the flyer again. I was curious about this freak show. Maybe if they were nice to their performers and payed well I could join. I'm sure I'm freaky enough. How many times in your life do you meet a real mermaid?

He never answered and when I looked up he was gone. I didn't even hear him move. I looked at the bottom of the flyer where it gave the address and show time. I realized it wasn't to far from where I was and decided to check it out. I reached my destination, which was a abandoned theater. The flyer didn't state who or where you were suppose to purchase your ticket so I decided to just walk around.

It was getting quite late and it was pitch dark and starting to get chilly. I pulled my light jacket tighter around me. I turned a corner of the building and came upon the old ticket booth. How could I be so silly. It was an abandoned theater of course it would have a ticket booth. I walked quickly over to the small box. The windows had been broken out years ago and had been boarded up by planks of wood. There was a note attached to the ticket booth saying 'back in five seconds'.

"Back in five seconds?" I asked to myself out loud. "One, two, three, four, five." Nothing happened. "It's been five seconds!" I told the ticket both.

Suddenly, a little door in the bottom of the booth opened up and a little person came out. It was wearing a blue hooded cloak and I couldn't tell anything about its face. The little person walked up to me and held out a hand. I stared down at the little... creature? It's hand was a dull gray color and a lot larger then would be expected for something that was only about four feet tall.

"Err, I want to buy a ticket for the Cirque du Freak. Is this where I buy one at?" I asked the little person. It didn't answer just shook its gray hand at me. "Do you want money for the ticket. Here," I pulled money out of my jacket and I placed it in the little person's opened hand.

It stood in-front of me just for a second before going back through the door in the ticket booth. I was just about to scream at it for taking my money when it returned. It held out a bright red piece of paper to me. I gladly took it from it and examined it. It was just an ordinary little ticket that read in bold black letters '**Cirque du Freak- ADMIT ONE'**.

I checked my watch it read 11:15. The flyer had said the show starts at midnight so I still had a little time to wait so I decided to wait outside the theater until it was time to go in. In-front of the theater was a old, wooden bench. I decided to take a seat there a wait for the show to begin. I took the small bag that I had packed with some of my things down on one side of the bench and took a seat beside of it.

I set there for awhile just thinking about my life and all that I had been through. I wondered if I would ever know who my real parents where. Were they mermaids too? Or was I just born a freak to the world? Would I ever find out? I hoped so. I snapped out of my thoughts when the hair on my neck and arms prickled. I looked up and saw a very tall man staring at me from the entrance of the theater. He seemed to be studying me. When he realized I was staring back he walked over to me.

"Why are you out here all alone?" the unusually tall man asked.

I was a little wary of him and I didn't answer I just stared at him. He seemed to notice that I was uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Hibernius Tall," he said and bowed to me. "I'm the owner of the circus that is performing here tonight. Would you like to go ahead and take your seat inside?" he asked me.

"Sure, I would love too. It's getting kind of chilly out here." I answered. He showed me to the door and asked me for my ticket which I gladly handed to him. After taking my ticket he opened the door to the theater.

As I entered I took a look at my surroundings. The theater wasn't very impressive it was extremely worn down. At one time in it's life it was probably a very impressive building but with no one taking care of it now it had become very run down. There where only a few people in the audience. In the back there was a group people, who looked to be around my age. When I walked past them one of the girls looked at me and pointed at me while speaking to her friends.

"Hey, look, I think that girl might be part of the show. She sure does look like a real freak!" the girl said and all her friends laughed with her. Apparently they where here to laugh at the freaks.

I rolled my eyes at them and walked up to the front row and took a seat in the middle. I checked my watch again, it was fifteen till midnight. As the minutes went by more and more people filled into the theater and soon the theater was completely packed with people. At exactly midnight Mr. Tall appeared on the stage to get the show started.

I had one thing to say about the show when it was finished- amazing! The performers where incredible. They were not just normal freaks... they were magical and strange ones, like myself. I had already decided half way through the show that I was going to stay behind and ask Mr. Tall if I could join.

While the rest of the people where walking out of the theater, I walked off to the right side of the stage trying to figure out where Mr. Tall had went to. I had to admit I was a little afraid to ask any of performers, I didn't want to bother them. I was just about to give up hope when I saw a bright red streak walk past me, it was the man I talked to earlier tonight- Mr Crepsley.

"Mr. Crepsley! Hey Mr. Crepsley!" I shouted trying to get his attention as I raced after him. He stopped as he heard his name and watched me curiously as he waited for me to reach him.

"Can I help you?" he asked immediately when I walked up to him.

"Err, well, I was wondering if you knew where, err, Mr. Tall is? I would like to speak with him... If that's okay?" I asked nervously. As I spoke I pulled at the bottom of my jacket not looking him in the eyes.

"Why?" Mr. Crepsley asked me suspiciously. "What do you want with him?"

"Well, I was actually going to ask him if I could, you know, join the Cirque du Freak." I said to him. He raised an eyebrow at me and stared at me for a long time before saying anything else to me.

"Come with me and I will show you to Mr. Tall." he stated simply and beckoned me to follow him, which I did immediately.

He lead me to a door off to the side of the stage where the performers where standing around talking to each other about the show and was helping pack up all the supplies. We walked past all of them until we got to where Mr. Tall was standing and taking to one of the performers about the show. Mr. Crepsley walked behind him and patently waited for the conversation to be finished. After a few moments Mr. Tall turned to greet us.

"What can I do for you Larten?" he said and then looking at me "Oh I see we have a visitor. Nice to see you again Miss Finley."

"How did you know my name?" I asked immediately.

"I have many talents. As do you." he said to me. "Are you here to ask me if you can join the cirque Druella?" Mr Tall asked.

I was speechless, how did he know that? Could he read minds or something. It was amazing! My brain couldn't make my mouth make words so I just dumbly nodded my head yes. Mr. Tall gave a very small smile.

"We would love to have you as a member of The Cirque du Freak. Since you are under age you will need a guardian. If it is fine with you I could be yours? You will need to listen to me and you will also need to help around the cirque. Will that be fine with you?" Mr. Tall asked me.

"Yes! That will be perfect! I have everything I need already so I'm ready to join." I said. I was so excited. I could feel the large smile that spread across my face. I almost reached out to grab Mr. Tall in a hug but stopped my self. I couldn't believe it I was actually a member of The Cirque du Freak!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay so I finally finished chapter 2. Sorry it took so long but I recently just got married so I've been a little distracted with everything. Anyway think to everyone who reviewed and put me on the favorite list. I'm trying to make this story a little different then all the other so hopefully it goes well. Like I said in the beginning I don't own Cirque Du Freak but I do own Druella Finley and a few other characters that will appear through the story. I will try to keep everyone in character as possible so let's hope I do good. Also I love feedback it makes me want to write faster but no flames please. I think that is all I have to say so I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the first. Also sorry for any grammar/spelling errors.

Cirque Du Freak

A Tail of Two Freaks

Chapter 2

Present Day

It had been years since I had thought of the day when I first joined the cirque. That was the happiest day of my life. That day I found my family and a real home. Fifty-two years has passed since that day and most people would think I would be sitting in a rocking chair reminiscing about the good old days... think again. I found out some things about myself as I traveled with the freak show, one of them being that I don't age like humans do, I age at fifth the rate as a normal person. That means for every five years that goes by my body only ages one year. Instead of being sixty-eight years old my body is only about twenty-six years old.

For the last few days my thoughts have traveled back to my adventures with the freak show. I made and lost many friends in the years that I traveled with them. Mr. Tall was my guardian until I was of age and as the years went by he became more and more like a father to me. I also became very close friends to several of the performers and assistants. Out of all the people associated with the show the one I became the closest with was the vampire, Larten Crepsley. I was comfortable with him from the first time we spoke. He understood me like no other person had. He knew what it was like to age so slowly and see everyone around him age quicker.

I also found out that I was even a freak among freaks. No one knew that mermaids were actually real. People had heard stories of them but no one had actual proof... until they met me. When I first came to the show I was afraid to perform so Mr. Tall allowed me to work behind the stage and after a few years I started working as Mr. Crepley's stage assistant. As the years went on I finally worked the nerve to perform for the people and they loved me. They were fascinated by my abilities and the magic of the act.

As I came into age and had traveled with the show for years I became tired of performing. I started to leave the show every once in awhile without telling anyone. The first few times I did it people worried but after the first few times people got use to it and didn't think much of it. I've been away from the show for a little over a year now which is the longest I've ever stayed away from the cirque. I was currently staying in a decent hotel in a small city. For the past few months I had been performing at a small bar a couple of blocks away from my hotel. It wasn't the same performance I did with the cirque of course. Over the years I had picked up playing guitar. I wasn't spectacular at it by any means but I enjoyed it and I had a decent voice. It was nice to be able to perform a talent I learned and not something I was born with.

I shook my head and pulled my coat tighter against myself. I rubbed my hands to try to warm them from the cold since I had left my gloves at the hotel. I was making my way to the bar to perform tonight. I was excited, I had written some new material and I couldn't wait to perform it for the people.

I smiled as I came upon the small bar where I sign blinked red saying _Billy's Bar_ which was named after the owner Billy Potter. He was a nice man in his early thirties. We had become fast friends and he loved me being able to perform in his bar. I waved and smiled at him when I saw him helping fix drinks for his customers. Even though he was the owner he liked to help the bartenders out.

"What's up Billy?" I asked him as I took a seat at the bar setting my guitar case beside me.

"Not much Dru. We're packed tonight it seems. Good night for your music I have to say." he replied running he finger through his shaggy blond hair.

Billy was a nice looking man. He had asked me on several occasions to go out with him but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. He was a great guy but he just wasn't what I was looking for.

"I got some new material for tonight. You'll have to tell me what you think of it after we close." I said before walking up to the stage to get ready.

The crowd loved my new songs. Some people danced with each other and others set at the bar with their drink just relaxing to the music. Half way through my show I had strange feeling in my stomach. I felt like someone was staring at me, like someone was examining me. I searched the crowd as I played but couldn't find the source of my paranoia. My show came to an end when the bar was slowing down as it got close to closing time. I walked off the stage quickly and made my way to the bar to help out Billy. I still had the feeling of been watched but I couldn't find where the source was coming from.

"Somethin' wrong? You seem tense," Billy said wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, I am fine, I think. I just have this feeling over being examined. I just can't shake it." I replied tugging on a lock of my long blond hair. I took another look around the bar as people were leaving when I saw something out of place.

I could see out through the window, in the back of the building, that a boy was standing on the sidewalk. I said my goodbyes to Billy and made my way outside. I walked quietly around the building and peaked around the corner. The boy couldn't be any older then twelve and he was dressed in a worn black suit. He stood impatiently in one spot and kept staring at the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Making my decision I stepped out of the shadows and made my way closer to the boy.

"Are you lost?" I called out to him. I walked a little closer to him and studied the boy. I could just feel in my gut that there is something different about him. He seemed startled by my sudden appearance and stared at me for a moment before answering.

"No, I'm not lost. I'm just waiting for my um dad to come back." he stated not looking me in the eyes.

"Your dad just left you here in the dark all alone?" I asked an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Yeah." he stated lamely.

"If something happened you can tell me. Are you lost? I can take you home or let you into the bar so you can call someone. You don't have to be afraid of-"

"Darren, are you ready to go?" A voice interrupted me from the dark. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place where I had heard it before.

"Is that your dad?" I asked Darren.

"Yeah," he replied as he made his way to where the voice had come from.

On the other end of the building was a shadow of a man. I assumed this was Darren's father. I was highly suspicious of him. Why would a father leave his twelve year old boy in the dark behind a bar? It just didn't make any since. I walked with the boy to make sure that everything was okay. When I got closer I saw the man in the light and I was shocked.

I stood there speechless with my mouth gaped open. In front of me was the reason why I had left the cirque the last time. Standing in front of me with his signature red suit and his crop of orange hair was no other then _Larten Crepsley! _

I couldn't believe it. It just wasn't possible. Life could not be this cruel to me. Out of all the people in the world why did I have to run in to him? I must have looked quiet silly standing there in the dark alley with my mouth wide open and my eyes as big as a flying saucer. I stood there for a couple minutes until the boy know as Darren spoke up.

"Are you alright?" Darren asked curiously.

The sound of his voice made me jump and come back to the present. It took me a minute to come up with something intelligent to say but I finally got my vocal cords working again.

"That's not your dad!" I said accusingly.

Darren was now the one lost for words. He didn't seem to have a comeback quick enough but suddenly another voice cut in to the conversation. This one made me sneer.

"I am sorry Miss but you must be mistaking my son Darren for someone else. If you would excuse us we must be going," said the always confident Larten Crepsley.

My brain told me to just quickly apologize and let them go. Larten didn't recognize me obviously and I could go back to my normal life without have to confront him. However, my heart was pushing me to question him. Why did he have a young boy with in the middle of the night pretending to be his son? It was unbelievable! Larten didn't even like children. So why was he here with this one? After a quick debate inside my own head I realized what I had to do.

"You're right. I don't know your 'son'." I said and Larten took Darren by the arm and started to lead him out of the alley. "However, I do know you and you don't have any children." I said with a smirk as my heart leaped for joy at its victory.

As soon as those words left my mouth Larten stopped midstride making Darren bump in to his back. Larten turned so quickly my eyes almost couldn't follow the movement. I could feel his eyes burn in to mine. I stared right back at him with a little smirk on my pale lips. We stood in that same position for several minutes as Darren looked back in forth between us seeming to be very confused by the whole ordeal. Larten was the first one to break the staring contest between us and spoke.

"I _really_ think you are mistaken Miss. I have not the fantast idea of who you are." Larten replied his voice strained. He was nervous and suspicious. This just made me smirk more.

"Really, you don't remember me at all? Here I was thinking that vampires had a good memory. I guess you're just getting old." I said to him.

Before I could even blink I was up against the brick wall of the alley. Larten had me pinned tightly around the neck. I squirmed to try and loosen the grip so I could breathe but it was no use. Larten's face was terrifying. In all the years that I had known him I had never seen this look. Not even when we were arguing. This was a look he saved for his enemies which is what he considered me to be. My heart was pounding in my chest and my face was slowly turning a shade of blue from the lack of oxygen.

_"_Who are _you__?" _he hissed angrily at me. I just stared until he realized that I was turning blue. He let me go abruptly and I fell to the pavement.

I set in a heap on the pavement for a few moments to get my breath back as Larten stared at me. I knew the look he was giving me very well. It was the same look he gave me when I first met him fifty-two years ago. He was studying me like an insect. I hated that look. It made me feel like even more of a freak when he did that. Finally I looked up at him and didn't something he wasn't expecting. I kicked him hard! He landed on the ground in shock. I got to my feet at an inhumanly fast rate and stood above him.

"_That_ is what you get from almost chocking me to death. Now, Larten Crepsley you will tell me why you have a young boy with you?" I said to him as I glared angrily at him as he quickly jumped to his feet and brushed his coat off.

"It makes me sad that you have so quickly forgotten me Larten." I said with a fake pout.

Larten took his time examining me this time. It took a few moments but I saw his eyes light up with realization. He looked like he might yell at me again but instead he just said "Dru?"

"About time you recognize me. You would think as long as you have known me you would be able to smell me or something." I laughed at him when he scowled.

"Yes, well, I was not expecting to run into you of all people here at this time of night. You look… different," was his reply.

"I guess." I shrugged. "You on the other hand don't look any different."

Larten was correct that I had changed since the last time we meet. As the years gone by the mermaid in me changed my human appearance, it was something that most people could directly point out but they always thought there was something not quite right about me. As the years passed my skin turned into a mixture of white and blue and my eyes became a more intense blue. People always felt slightly uncomfortable around me maybe it was because I almost never blink or maybe it was the fact that I looked a little to inhuman for them.

I wasn't sure why I was becoming more like the mermaid in me but it kept me up at night. I wonder if one day will I lose my human side completely? I don't want to leave the land behind. My change was one of the reasons I left the cirque. I thought if I stopped turning then it wouldn't change my outsides. I was wrong. I've changed more in the past year then I did in the many years at the cirque.

"Druella?" Larten asked cautiously. He lightly touched my shoulder which made me realize that we were still standing in the middle of the alley in the middle of the night. This was not a place reminisce about my problem; it was time to get answers.

"Larten, why do you have a young boy with you? You don't like children?" I asked.

"Well, the truth is Darren is my assistant." Larten said straight forward.

"Assistant? Like as a half-vampire type assistant?" I questioned him with eyebrows raised. I saw Larten shift his weight under my stare.

He cleared his throat before answering. "Well, yes." He said plainly stated.

I turned to take a good look at Darren again. He looked to be about twelve years old but now that I know he was a half-vampire who know how old he actually is. The strangeness I picked up from him earlier makes since now. It was like me; only half human. He looked pretty average for a kid his age except the dusty, worn out black suit he was wearing.

"Are your parents dead?" I questioned him.

"No." was his short answer.

"Did your parents abandon you?" I asked. Maybe he was like me.

"No," he answered again.

"Then tell me Darren why are you not with your family?" I asked. I had a sickening feeling in my stomach that I was not going to like his answer.

"They think I'm dead."

That was what I was dreading. The scruffy black suit all made since now. As soon as my mind registered this Larten Crepsley once again found himself on the ground with Druella Finley standing above him angrily.


End file.
